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When violin virtuoso David Klinkenberg poured himself into his new CD, "Fiddle-Levity," it wasn't all fun and games. He had something very specific in mind.
Everyone who listens to Klinkenberg’s “Fiddle-Levity” gets the fun part. That’s easy, with its joyous melodies and nimble violin work. But David shared more of his intentions with Suite in our recent conversation. “Rather than a label pushing me forward, I went with the direction I liked as an artist. It took me like a year to make it, and I poured a ton of resources into it," David laughs. “But I looked at it as my initial offering; I wanted to use the music to bring people to a higher place.” I mention that I found “Fiddle-Levity” to be, indeed, a very timely piece of music for just that reason, and asked David if he felt that was a part of a calling in his life. “That’s exactly what I consider my calling,” he responded excitedly. “Maybe not for my whole life, but I did feel that God was telling me to do something that might impact people in a new way.” He hastens to add, “Every artist tries for that, of course, but I felt that He wanted me to do something specifically through levity. Levity has a very Biblical root to it,” he explains. “The Levi tribe was put in charge of lifting up the Ark of the Covenant, and also to take God’s people to a higher place, in a supernatural way.” David’s voice brims over with excitement as he says, “Fiddle music has such potential to do that. A lot of times fiddle players will focus on performing a difficult piece of music, which puts the focus back on the player. But I grew up playing worship music, since I was six in church. And the focus there isn’t on you; when people notice you playing on stage in that setting, it’s not a good thing. So I was taught early to aim the focus heavenward. And this album was deliberately crafted to create a heavenward experience,” he finishes. When I wonder if he’s found it to be a satisfying experience, David answers, “It’s funny, it’s been a very different experience than my first album (“Sound of the Mountain”). That was done kind of quickly, in a month or two. This one I wanted to take my time with, to make sure that there wasn’t one thing about it that I wasn’t willing to stand behind. Sometimes with an independent album there’s a caveat: ‘Oh, I like it but there wasn’t enough money to do what I really wanted to do,’ etc. I wanted no caveats with this one. And in my heart I feel like I did what I set out to do.” Those remarks led into a discussion of the music industry, and David ended up sharing more of his “Fiddle-Levity” intentions. “I didn’t grow up in the Christian music industry. I didn’t even listen to much Christian music growing up, other than worship music, which I listened to because I was playing it. So I think I bring a somewhat different approach to my writing. I wanted to create something that spoke of God in the same way a tree or a mountain speaks of Him. And I don’t mean that in an arrogant way,” he adds hurriedly. “But I mean music that, when you listen to it, you think, there must be a God! Not because I lent the message credibility through my words, but through the music itself. I want the music to point to God, instead of the other way around, where we identify it verbally as “Christian.” David mentions his occasional tour-mate Jim Brickman as an example of such a writer, sharing of occasions when audience members tell Jim that they sense a spiritual worship in his music. “If God is real, He will be expressed even if I don’t say a thing. That doesn’t mean that I don’t say I’m a Christian. At my shows, I often do, or I mention my calling, something along those lines. But I don’t set it up that way; it’s the music first. I play the festivals and other secular environments, often intentionally, where the audience is not Christian. And I have to let the music sing to their hearts.” If what I’ve heard of this humble musician, on “Fiddle-Levity” and his recent Christmas album “The Carol of Emmanuel,” is any indication, his music will penetrate the mind and soul of his listeners with great effectiveness. Find out more about David Klinkenberg and his journey music on his website.
The copyright of the article David Klinkenberg Interview in Christian Music is owned by Kevan Breitinger. Permission to republish David Klinkenberg Interview in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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